NBA teams are going to extreme lengths to neutralize one of the league's best defenders, and it's actually working

The San Antonio Spurs are allowing more points with two-time
Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard on the floor than off
of it this season.

It's a statistic that has baffled the NBA world. How does perhaps
the best wing defender in the NBA make his team's defense
worse by nearly five points per 100 possessions when he's on the
floor?

Contrary to what the statistic may suggest on the surface,
Leonard has not suddenly become a worse defender.
Instead, as
CBS's Matt Moore discovered, NBA teams are simply taking
Leonard out of the equation by avoiding him completely.

As Moore notes, this was on display in a December 8 loss to the
Chicago Bulls. The Spurs stuck Leonard on Bulls leading scorer
Jimmy Butler in the first quarter. What did the Bulls do? They
stuck Butler in a corner and played four-on-four basketball
against Leonard's relatively weak defensive supporting cast.
According to Moore, Butler did not even touch the ball on the
Bulls' first ten scoring plays.

On several possessions, the Bulls basically secured Butler and
Leonard as far away from the action as possible.

Via
NBA.com/Stats

As Moore notes, the Orlando Magic did the same thing when the
Spurs put Leonard on Evan Fournier after a strong first half.
Fournier, one of the Magic's best playmakers, was vanquished to
the corner.

NBA.com/Stats

Much of this is because of the personnel surrounding Leonard.
According to Moore, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, and LaMarcus Aldridge
rank in the sixth, 30th, and 37th percentile, respectively, in
points allowed to opposing ball-handlers in pick-and-rolls.
That is, they're all meager pick-and-roll defenders. If teams
remove whoever Leonard is guarding from the equation, they can
feast on open space against subpar defenders. If the Spurs switch
Leonard onto another team's top offensive weapon, it can create
mismatches around the court for opponents to exploit.

It's an interesting tactic, although not a revolutionary one,
either. Avoid Leonard completely, and the Spurs' tenth-ranked
defense isn't quite so stingy.

It will be a situation worth monitoring as the season goes on.
While teams in the playoffs may not so easily concede to play
four on four, if the Spurs are hemorrhaging points while Leonard
is taken out of the action, then they'll have to surround him
with better players. And if the Spurs are forced to dip deeper
into their rotation to put competent defenders around Leonard,
then they're likely in trouble.